Aritzea POV
"Ugh!" I woke to a dull throb of pain in my head and the cold bite of metal against my wrists and ankles. My mind was as foggy as a forest before dawn, but as my vision cleared, I finally noticed my surroundings. I was bound, shackled in some dark, musty room that reeked of dampness and rot. Where was this? I was utterly confused. The last I remembered was of me leaving early from a party with Selene and her friends with me leaving early. Then how the hell had I come here? My first instinct was to shift into my wolf form, rip these chains apart and find my way back home. But when I tried, I felt nothing. I just realised, my wolf was completely silent, a dull ache where she should have been. At once, I panicked. How was this possible?! What had they done to me? I tried again, more desperately this time, trying my best to summon my wolf from wherever she was. But no matter what I did, it was like reaching into a void. My wolf was gone! The door creaked open and a sliver of light cast on the ground. Two figures entered the room, their faces shadowed by the light behind them. "She's awake." One of them grunted. He stepped forward, revealing a rough, scarred face. I narrowed my eyes, snarling at them despite my panic. "Where am I? What do you want?!" The man just chuckled, a cruel and twisted sound. "You'll find out soon enough, girl. Get her up." The other man, taller and leaner, came forward and grabbed my arm, yanking me to my feet. My feet had been numb and almost buckled under me, but I forced myself to stand, biting back on the pain. They dragged me down a narrow, dimly lit corridor. And as we got closer, the sound of voices grew louder, a crowd buzzing and alive with excitement. The narrow corridors made me feel like the walls were closing in on me and I was being led to my execution. Finally, they shoved me through a set of doors and bright lights assaulted my eyes. I squinted to adjust and when I saw where they'd taken me, it did feel like my execution. It was an auction hall. I had attended a few with my brother so it wasn't unfamiliar. However, this particular one seemed like a twisted, horrifying version of one. The grand room, the elegant chandeliers hanging from the ceilings and the velvet drapes lining the walls all seemed right. But there was something completely wrong with it that took me a minute to find out. The people. The crowd was a mix of well dressed men and women wearing glamorous masks. But the mask did nothing to hide the hungry gleam of their eyes that made my skin crawl. I was being sold. I could feel bile rise to my throat, anger flaring inside of me and before I knew what I was doing, I lunged at the nearest person— the scarred man standing at the edge of the platform. My chains clanged noisily as I moved. I had honestly wished to rip his brains out of his head but my strength was gone and I could only manage a scratch on his face. The man roared in fury, his fist coming down hard on my cheek. Pain exploded across my face and I staggered, tasting blood in my mouth. Damn this fucker! I braced myself for another blow but it never came. "Not too much damage," the taller man said, grabbing the other man's arm before he could strike me again. "She's got to look pretty for the buyers." His words made me feel sick and I glared fiercely at the both of them. "Fucking bitch!" The man I had scratched muttered as he pulled me forward roughly, forcing me onto the center of the platform. "We shall begin the bidding for this beauty…" The auctioneer started the bidding, his voice sickeningly greedy. I didn't care about the numbers he rattled off but displaying me for sale like a piece of meat. Unbearable! Oh, they better hope I never meet them when my wolf comes back. They're all going to meet their maker.b6 I lowered my head, listening to them bid eagerly. Their gazes fell on my skin and without even looking I could sense the twisted emotions in their eyes as they looked at me. Suddenly, I felt another gaze. Stronger, more intense than any of the others. I could feel the pure interest the owner of the gaze held towards me. Unable to hold myself, I looked up, my eyes moving past the crowd to stare at a distance. I couldn't see anyone, but I could feel the person's amusement clearly from their gaze. At this moment, "Bam!", the auctioneer's hammer fell with a thud and I looked away. I was sold. They pulled me off the platform and led me down another series of corridors. The men I had scratched seemed more eager now, his scared face flashing me a sickening grin. "You're in for a treat, girl," he sneered, leering down at me. "Your new master loves to try out his goods before he takes them home. But don't worry," he added, his voice dripping with mockery, "we'll make sure you're nice and ready for him." I looked back at him defiantly, the only thought in my head other than disgust was me ripping his head off. However, reality was quite disappointing. I was so weak that I couldn't even struggle and was dragged into a lavish room. Clearly, it had been prepared for the so-called master's 'pleasure'. And if the scareed man's leer wasn't enough, the massive bed draped in rich, dark fabrics was all the evidence I needed to know why they had brought me here. I felt a push behind me and I fell onto the bed. Before I could even attempt to resist, I felt a sharp sting in my arm. I looked down just in time to see the man withdrawing a syringe, a satisfied smirk on his face. "This should do the trick," he said, laughing. "Just relax and enjoy the ride cause you'll be begging for it soon enough. He'll be here soon." From his words, I knew what he had infected me with— an aphrodisiac. As they left, I couldn't help the sneer that formed on my lips. These damn idiots. It would never work on me. Although my wolf was still not responding, my werewolf blood made it impossible for me to have. A reaction to whatever they had injected me with. I hid a knife I had slipped from those bastards behind me as I waited for the so-called master to come. Minutes dragged by slowly and finally, he came. I looked at the man who walked in, my gaze wary and alert as I watched his every step. "Oh, you're still awake. How impressive!" He chuckled coarsely. He stepped closer, so close that I could feel the nauseating smell of alcohol on him, his hands reaching out to touch me. I gripped the knife, waiting for him to get close enough so I could finish him off with one strike. Closer.... Closer.... Closer... And as I made to stab the knife in his direction, a loud crash from outside made me freeze. He also froze, his head snapping towards the door. I looked up, and then I saw.....Lucian POV Desperation. Greed. Filth. The stink of these three was as pungent as always in a place like this. This auction was always a place for people who delighted in the darker pleasures of life. From vampires to humans and the occasional supernatural oddity, they were all the same— vying for their next new toy. I clicked my tongue in disdain, leaning back into my seat, barely paying attention to the latest round of bids. It was all so..... boring. Ah, it seems I have to find a new place. The auction hall had lost its luster to me. It was all the same faces, and the same twisted games. Terribly repetitive, there was no fun in that. "We shall begin the bidding for this beauty...." A new item had probably been brought on to the platform and the buzz of the crowd heightened. It seemed as if a new, more twisted sense of excitement had been injected into them. I tilted my head, a bit curious despite myself, and then, I saw her. A beauty indeed. They dragged her o
Lucian POV ‘Swish!’ The blade sliced through the air with surprising speed aimed right at my heart. Already expecting her actions, I caught her blade just before it could reach me. I looked down, her eyes widened in shock as she stared at the knife mere inches away from my chest. A slow smile spread across my lips. "Impressive," I praised, "But you'll need to do better than that, love." Our gazes clashed, my amusement a complete opposite to the fire of fury in her eyes. She was clearly at loss here, but she was still so defiant as if she had all the odds in her favour. It intrigued me. I released her wrist slowly, the blade slipping from her fingers as it clattered to the floor. She tried to slip away, but I moved faster, grabbing her wrists again as I pulled her towards my chest. "Bastard, get away from me!" She grunted in anger as she glared at me. I ignored her words and gently cupped her face. Her skin was warm, soft beneath my touch. I could feel the rapid pulse of her he
Aritzea’s POVFuck! Why hadn't I killed him?!Why did I let him off with just a scratch?!Aritzea Duval, this is the most disappointing thing you've ever done!With every step I took, my anger grew. Sure, I had managed to snap the heads of those men who had tied me up in that hell hole, but that wasn't enough. Not even close.I should have killed him too. I had the perfect opportunity. One move and I'd have snapped the head off the damn bastard. Instead, I had so foolishly left him with just a little scratch.The thought of him lingered and I tried to shake him off my head. It was over and there was nothing I could do. But, his figure kept appearing in my head. His touch, his voice, the way he made my body react against my will— it sent a shiver down my spine. His wanton chuckles and his breath against my skin.... I despised it all. But my wolf seemed to disagree with me. I suppressed the weird feeling growing inside of me.Gosh! Stop thinking about him!The lights of our estate fin
Aritzea POV "Ugh..." Why did I agree to come.... Why was I here.... "Aritzea!" "What?" I turned to look at my brother who was staring at me with a frown. He stared at me for a while before looking away to "Remember, no funny behaviour tonight." I rolled my eyes. "Sure." But I couldn't promise anything. I didn't even want to be here. Thorne glanced at me sternly before pushing open the door of the car to get out. I took a deep breath and followed. Vampires. I could smell them. Originally, I wasn't one to enjoy attending such pompous events, but the fact that it was filled with vampires made it all the more unbearable for me. Diplomacy, they called it. Fuck diplomacy. It was a test of patience. My patience, to be precise. The two groups separated themselves, werewolves huddled in one side of the room and vampires on the other. The only people interacting were the high-ranking members of both factions pretending to engage in civil conversation. I glanced over to where Thorne
Lucian POV "There's an invitation... from your father" I paused, my work suddenly interrupted by Armand. "Here." I stretched out my hand and he gave me the invitation— a ridiculously fancy thing with a bright seal. I could tell where the invitation was from without even opening it. The Vampires Association. I sighed, slitting open the envelope and unfolding the letter. With a flick of my wrist, I opened it. The words were formal, filled with unnecessary flair; A grand event bringing together vampires, blah blah, foster diplomacy, yadda yadda yadda. "It's a waste of time," I remarked casually, scrunching and tossing the letter into its rightful place— the waste bin. "I'm not interested. Tell him I'm not coming. You can choose between sending a text message or writing such an elaborate reply. Have fun." My words were quite clear but Armand, being himself, pressed on. "It's a significant event, apparently. Your father's words, not mine." I raised a brow, leaning back into my ch
Aritzea POV Him. The man from the auction. The one who should have been dead, had I not been a fool to leave him alive. I bit the inside of my cheek as our eyes met, his gaze calm, almost smug, like he enjoyed seeing how frustrated I looked. He raised an eyebrow at me, daring me to react. Fuck. I looked away instantly. This man was dangerous. Very dangerous. He didn't give off any scent, not even a trace. Not werewolf, not vampire, not human—nothing. How was that even possible?! I was a werewolf. And my extra keen senses meant I should have picked up something, anything, but there was only emptiness. And why the fuck was he following me around? I stopped in my tracks, turning round to face him. "What the hell do you want?" I asked, my voice sharp. He looked like my annoyance very much pleased him. His stance was casual, a faint smile tugging on his lips as he met my gaze. "I came to find you," he said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do. I crossed
Aritzea POV I was still fuming by the time I left the banquet with my brother. The nerve of that damn vampire—walking up to me like we were old friends, then leaning in close as if… Damn! The smirking vampire had somehow managed to make a fool of me without even trying. He had teased me—played with ne like a cat toying with its prey—and I'd just stood there, frozen like an idiot. I should have punched him. Right there! ‘Or at least done something’, I thought bitterly. I'd had never let anyone get the upper hand like that. Not vampires, not even my stubborn brother. Yet that infuriating vampire had made me feel...off balance. And worse—my wolf wasn’t helping! Every time I thought of his smug, lazy smile, there was a flicker of something, something I didn't want to acknowledge. It wasn’t just anger. It felt like a pull, maybe. Something primal. And this little whore that was my wolf kept bringing back the thought of him— his scent, his voice, the way he— Nope, stop. Absolutely no
Aritzea’s POV The moon hung high above the villa, casting an eerie silver glow over everything, making the shadows seem deeper, more threatening. My heart pounded against my ribs, my mind turning blank as I stood, frozen. The mutilated body at my feet was unrecognizable, a horrifying pile of flesh and bone, twisted in ways no living thing could ever be. The blood soaked the stone steps, dark and slick, seeping into the cracks like it had always belonged there. Then, the scent hit me hard— blood and death— and along with it, a horrifying thought. My sister! Without a second thought, I bolted past Thorne and into the house, the door slamming behind me with a loud bang. "Laura!" I took the stairs three at a time, heart racing, my mind filled with fear. Not her. Please, not my sister. "Laura!" I screamed again, louder, my voice cracking as panic clawed anxiously at my throat. I could hardly breathe as I ran through the dark hallway to Laura's room, my body moving on pure instin
Aritzea’s POVRejecting Lucian offer to be his plus one to the gala didn't bother me at all. It wasn't like I was loosing sleep or feeling overwhelming guilt over it.No, not at all.However, now standing in front of the mirror, tightening the last button on my jacket, it didn’t feel so smart anymore.I stared at my reflection critically — black tailored blazer cinched at the waist, slim trousers pressed so sharply they could probably cut someone, black button-up shirt tucked in clean and perfect.My hair was pulled into a sleek bun at the back of my head, a few wisps framing my face just enough to look effortless, not messy. Minimal jewelry. No nonsense.I looked like I could strangle someone with a silk tie and not wrinkle a single thread.Good. That was the goal.I smoothed my hands down my jacket but my brain... had other ideas.Because suddenly, all I could think about was Lucian. I could already picture it — him walking into the gala with ‘her’ clinging to his arm.I didn’t know
Lucian’s POVIf there was an award for the most unbothered man before a high-stakes gala, it should have my name engraved on it by now.Or maybe not. I twirled the silver pen between my fingers, leaning so far back in my chair that all it would take was one nudge and I'd go sprawling down to the floor. And honestly, it was tempting.Perhaps the floor would be an easier alternative than the reality of what I was about to do: asking Aritzea to be my date for the gala.As it turned out, I was excellent at avoiding that. Two weeks and I hadn't said anything. We talked about the gala a few times, yes, but I hadn't asked her to be my escort.But the gala was tonight, and there were only so many hours left to stall.I stared at the ceiling like it might offer a solution.Little spoiler: it didn’t. I exhaled a breath, sharp through my nose. I wasn’t nervous. Lucian Vaughn did not get nervous. I was...strategizing.
Aritzea POVIt had been two weeks since that night.Lucian hadn’t brought it up again. He didn’t mention the cold shower, the snapped words, or the sharp silence that settled between us after. He didn’t apologize again. I didn’t ask him to, I wasn't really angry or mad at anything.We just… moved past it. Or tried to.Sort of.We still spoke, of course—about work. About the case. About the new bodies popping up randomly and the leads we were finding. But everything else? It was clipped. Bare-boned. Quiet.No more dry teasing over breakfast. No more eye-roll-worthy comments about my temper. No more of that ridiculous smirk he always wore when he knew he was getting under my skin.And weirdly, I missed it.Which is exactly why I decided to keep my distance.The banter had made me feel something. Comfortable, maybe. Familiar. Like we were... close. And I couldn’t afford to feel that way. Not with him. Not with a vampire. Not when I still didn’t know which side of the line Lucian would f
Lucian POVThe moment I shut the door behind me, I leaned against it, jaw tight. The door sealed off the scent of her—the sharp, maddening scent that clung to the air like a ghost.I walked into the bathroom and turned the shower knob all the way to cold. The water hit me like a slap, but I didn’t care. I didn’t even bother taking off my shirt. I just stood there, letting it soak through, hoping it would cool the burning feeling inside me.Bloodlust.It wasn't just hunger. Not the simple craving for sustenance. No. Something about her, about her scent, made everything much worse. This was darker. Heavier. The kind that curled low in the gut and whispered terrible things. The kind that made the sound of her heartbeat feel too loud in the next room. Made her scent unbearable in all the wrong ways. The kind that left my fangs pressed tight against my gums.Hell, I didn’t even want to look at her too long right now. That’s how dangerous this was.I should’ve asked Armand to bring a bag.
Aritzea’s POVThe house was quiet. It was just me here. Excuse me, me and my new prisoner. But he wasn't important.I curled up on the worn leather couch, dressed in jeans and a loose sweater, thumbing through the file Lucian had left behind. It was thicker than I'd thought, filled with detailed records—more than I expected, honestly. The vampires had been watching the hunters for a long time.Each page was a slow burn of anger. Routes, ambushes, kidnappings. Some attacks mirrored the ones we wolves knew about—individuals disappearing along forest borders, scouts taken without a trace. But then there were the things we didn’t know. Things they hadn’t done to us.The hunters weren’t just murdering vampires.They were experimenting on them.One report detailed a vampire locked in a sun-sealed room for days, kept just barely alive to test how long they could survive extreme starvation. Another had been dismembered and pieced together with surgical precision just to “observe their limit
Armand’s POVThe thing about working for Lucian wasn’t just the fact that he was a self conceited prick—it was that he was a particularly unpredictable one.I was midway through negotiating a delivery of blood bags from one of our vetted private clinics when my phone buzzed.Lucian.Great.I answered, walking away from the counter. “Yeah?”His voice was flat. Too flat.“There’s a body in my office. Come here. Now.”I blinked. “A what in your office?”The call ended.“Shit.”I swore under my breath, tossed the clipboard back to the confused supplier, and rushed out.---By the time I reached his floor, the hallway was quiet. Too quiet. I knocked once.Lucian opened the door, and—“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”He stood there, pristine blue shirt stained in deep, drying red. His expression was unreadable. Empty. Like someone had cut the strings that made him move.I walked in quickly, shutting the door behind me.“What the hell happened?”Then I saw her.Amelie.Slumped in a pathetic heap on th
Lucian’s POVThe morning air bit colder than usual, or maybe that was just me. My fangs ached—no, itched—with a restlessness I hadn’t felt in years. It wasn’t the usual craving. This was sharp. Gnawing. Coiling like smoke behind my ribs, refusing to sit still.I hadn’t fed in nearly a month, which wasn’t particularly unheard of for me. I didn’t particularly like blood. Most of it tasted like copper and regret. Even the premium bags Armand sourced from certified, morally clean donors made me feel vaguely sick after a while.I could go a month. Two. Sometimes longer if I distracted myself well enough.But now?Now it was clawing at my throat.I leaned against the sleek side of my car, fingers flexing like I could scratch the hunger out. I closed my eyes. Breathe. Control. Focus.It worked. For just a second.And then she slid into my mind like she belonged there.Aritzea.Red hair like wildfire and rebellion. Those green eyes that sparkled only when she was plotting something reckless—
Aritzea’s POV The next morning, I got out of bed as soon as the sun came up, eager to do something other than rot in my bed and beat myself up over hunter attacks. I headed out for a run, allowing the morning breeze blowing past me to clear my mind up a bit.I’d barely made it down the stairs before I saw him.Lucian.My brows furrowed as I took in his sleek navy slacks, the apron tied around his trim waist and a light blue shirt that stretched across his awfully generous back—excuse me?I shook off the oddly descriptive thought from my mind and walked closer.He must have sensed me near, since he spoke up.“Good morning, sunshine,” he drawled, voice like warm honey and mischief. “Sleep well?”He leaned casually against the marble kitchen counter like he was posing for a magazine spread. The collar of his light blue button-down shirt open just enough to reveal an infuriating glimpse of collarbone and smooth, pale skin. Hair artfully messy. Smirk locked and loaded.Damn, he was alread
Aritzea’s POVI stormed down the hallway, my irritation growing with every step.The water in my room wasn’t working. The water. Of all the things that could go wrong, this was what I had to deal with? I’d been prepared for… well, a lot worse when I was told I’d be staying here, but at the very least, I expected basic functionality.It was a minor inconvenience. A stupid, stupid inconvenience. But after the day I’d had, it was enough to send my patience spiraling into the abyss.I marched down the hall, bare feet silent against the polished floors. The house was too big, too modern, all dark glass and sleek minimalism. It felt more like a luxury hotel than a home. Then again, I doubted Lucian saw a difference. After all, all this shiny stuff and yet, apparently, plumbing was where he drew the line.Reaching the study, I lifted my hand to push the door open—only for it to swing inward before I could touch it.“Lucian—”I barely stopped myself from colliding into the person standing t